University of Virginia Library

1864-01-01

I write you afew lines
this eavning which will inform you that
my self & brother are bothe well and I much
Hope this may reach you in due time and
find you injoying the best of health
and all other blesing, We have had a
verry still Christmas un til yesterday the
last day we were caledout to Stop the enimy
though fortionately for us thay were stoped
before we got verry far from our camp,
the Yankees atacked our men at Green ville N.C.
about (35) thirty five miles from this
place, our men drove them back. I havent
hird the particulars about the fight, though
it is reported in camp that the yankees
took one company of the 57 Va. Regt prisners
I dont know wether it is true or not,
I am verry glad thay whiped the yankees
back without our having to go down
thare, for the roads were mudy and it
was raining the most of the day,
it is mostly clear to day and verry
bloustry, it has bin warm the most of
the time sence we have bin here it is
much pleasenter here than it is in northern
Va and every thing is much cheaper,
we can buy potatoes and turnips here for
(3.00) three dollars per bushel by going 5 or 6
miles from camp, the most of the citizens

in the country seem to have a fine chance
of pork in fact everry thing is more plentyful
here than it is in Va whare the army has bin,
we have got an awful bad name sence we
have bin here, the soldiers dont like the
N.C. nor the N.C. dont like the Va. soldiers,
some of the soldiers does act verry trifling
it is enough to make any body mad with
them, thay will steal, some times thay go out
and steal potatoes and hogs, the Gen sent an
order here the other day for the men all to
be turned out on the parade ground and
then search thair houses, thay did not find
but verry little meat in our Regiment
though thay found good eal in the 53 Regt
I think thay found two (2) whole hogs in one
company; I hope the thiefs will be sevierly
punished for doing so and I guess thay will
the man that had the meat in our Regt has
desirted sence he was caught in his meanness
I expect he will go to the yankees, he was
a verry trifling fellow at his best
I think any man that will steal like thay
did aught to be whiped with a cow hide,
I have said enough about the rags[2] unless
I could say some thing in thare favor
and it would not do for me to say too much about
them I might be caught some time my self,
Some body stole upwards ($18 000) eighteen thous
end dollars from the QM of our Regiment a short
time ago the soldiers were charged with it
and I expect some of them got it
thay was an old Lady who lost a skillet of soup
last night and she came a round to day
searching the soldiers houses for it She did
not find it in our Regt She went to the
53 Regt I haven't hird wether she found it or not
it is reported that Gen Barton[3] said that his
Brigade was composed of rags and thiefs for they
were rags before thay left home, I think
he had better make some acceptions or mind
how he talks ani, if he only new it is not
healthy for him to gave honist people
such a bad name because some men does
wrong, well thare is no news nor interest
in this to you so I will stop it,

I would like to know how you injoyed
yourself this Christmas, I was in hopes
that I could get home by Christmas though
I could not start a furlough much less get
one through, though if what I have hird is
true it is not reasonable to sepose that I
could have injoyed my self if I I had of bin in the
neighbourhood, during the Christmas,

I have bin in service nearly three years and have not
had the first furlough yet, I think that I can
stay till my three years is out and then
I am coming home if I live and luck well
unless my luck changes,